What is BALANCE?Updated 6 hours ago

What is Measured: 

• Balance is measured as the ratio of Right vs Left stride output.
• Balance measures Stride Symmetry (your left vs. right usage rate), not stability or falling.
• In the simplest terms: If a player takes 1,000 strides, what % are right vs left?

What’s Normal?

• Anywhere from 50/50 to 55/45 on either side is within acceptable tolerance. 
• Moderate favoritism is normal. 

When to Look Deeper:

• Consistently seeing a ratio of 60/40 or greater imbalance.
  • This type of data indicates a potential technical inefficiency or muscular compensation.
  • Sudden and dramatic change in balance scores may indicate an injury or soreness.  

Balance in Action:

Common Causes of Poor Balance

• Skating posture breakdown.
• Strength differences between right and left leg.
• Lack of edge confidence on one side. 
• Lingering physical or mental effects of injury.

Key Coaching Insights

• Sudden changes in balance can be an early indicator of injury. 
• Keep an eye on anything greater than 55/45 and manage training accordingly.

Balance Data Utilization

• The data can identify hidden asymmetries.
• When you see an imbalance, use that data to guide corrective skating or strength work.
• In the long run, Balance data is essential to monitor return-to-play and long-term development.

How to Use It:

• In Rankings by Birth Year (Skills Tab), the percentage shows 50/50 balance compared to peers (0% lowest, 100% best).
• In Session Detail, track balance scores on a shift-by-shift or drill-by-drill basis to proactively flag any sudden imbalances due to an in-game event like a blocked shot or injury.
• In Track Progress, the percentage is a normalized balance score (0% lowest, 100% best), where 100% signifies consistent 50/50 balance across all sessions in that period.